Fred Fleitz, a former National Security Council chief of staff, told Newsmax that the nuclear threat of North Korea has increased considerably during President Joe Biden's tenure.
Appearing Tuesday on "Carl Higbie FRONTLINE," Fleitz said the planned meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un is the result of the Biden administration's failures.
"The issue here is how fast and how far the threat from North Korea has deteriorated just since Biden became president," Fleitz explained. "North Korea tested 75 missiles – a new record – in 2022 – thirty this year.
"In March, it displayed a photo of Kim Jong Un standing in front of a tactical nuclear weapon. It recently conducted a test attack – a test nuclear attack with short-ranged nuclear weapons."
Now, Fleitz emphasized, Kim is going to meet Putin in Vladivostok, Russia, to discuss military assistance for the war in Ukraine and potential joint exercise alongside them and Beijing.
"So, if you said a couple of months ago, 'This couldn't get worse,' you would have been wrong," he declared.
Fleitz addressed the Biden administration's "neglect" of the North Korean issue in a recent opinion editorial for Newsmax, laying the blame on a reversal of the Trump administration's tough policies.
"Although the Biden administration has raced to reverse this with summits with South Korea and Japan and offering to meet with North Korean officials, it will be very difficult to counter policies that deliberately ignored and snubbed North Korea for two and a half years," the national security expert wrote.
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Luca Cacciatore ✉
Luca Cacciatore, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is based in Arlington, Virginia, reporting on news and politics.
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